Family Home Evening - Look and Live !!

Last Sunday evening we gathered together at Grandma D's as a family.  We talked about Moses and the brass serpent.  The gist of the story is this:  After wandering in the wilderness with Moses for many years, the children of Israel began to forget the great miracles that had been afforded them.  Being freed from slavery from the Egyptians, the parting of the Red Sea for their safe passage, Moses delivering the ten commandments to them, written by the finger of God........and so forth. 
To help them remember, the Lord send fiery flying serpents in their midst, and then when they were bitten, a way to heal from the poisonous (killing) bite.   All they had to do was LOOK at the brass serpent which Moses had fashioned on a staff, and they would be healed and LIVE.   Unfortunately there were many who were too stubborn, and did not believe that to do something as easy as LOOKING would heal them, so they didn't look and they died.

The brass serpent was a TYPE or a symbol of our Savior.  If we but LOOK to him, we will LIVE.  By small and simple things, great things are brought to pass.  We talked about the Property, and how it started out as a small (BIG) mess of trees, and little by little we have transformed it into what it is today.  We talked about Grandpa Roger's yard business, and how it started out so small, and has grown and grown.  We talked about the kids gymnastics and tumbling, and how when they first started, they could barely do a cartwheel, and NOW, they can all do back handsprings!!

The little things our Prophet asks us to do, like read the Book of Mormon daily are small things.  We may think, "How can this help me?"  "Just by reading a little bit everyday I will be happier?"  "That is too easy, no way............"   And if we think like this, we will be like the children of Israel, who didn't look at the brass serpent.  Our Prophet has promised that if we read the Book of Mormon every day, we will MAKE BETTER DECISIONS - EVERY DAY, and we will BE HAPPIER, and IT WILL BRING US CLOSER TO OUR SAVIOR.   

To help us remember to LOOK and LIVE, we worked to make a SERPENT on a STAFF.

We had made four batches of salt dough clay earlier, and colored it green to resemble a snake. 

We layed it out of the counter, and proceeded to roll it into a snake shape.

We added eyes, and fangs, and a red forked tongue.

Getting it to stay together was pretty hard, but we GLOMMED it on the staff and made it work :)
Good Job Everyone !! 

Then each grandkid had their own mini-staff, and made their own serpent to take home. 

Of course, what's FHE without a little POKER at the end (haha) 

and loves..............

and cheesers................

and puzzles..........

A good time was had by all, and I think this is a lesson that will be remembered !